The Story of a Royal Guard: A Shield Contingency [OUTDATED/CANCELLED]

Dinner sure felt good to have in my stomach. I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten a good meal. The four of us, Iris, Root, Aster and myself, all sat around the table. We ate quickly and talked about how life was going. How well Root's job had been going (I learned that he was a bio-engineer), how school had been going for Aster, what their plans were for the weekend.

“So what do you plan to do when you go?” asked Iris.

I took another large bite from my carrot salad. “Well,” I swallowed before continuing. “I need to go back to Canterlot and explain everything to the Captain of the Royal Guard. Secondly I’ll probably try to figure out what’s up with my sword.”

“What about your cutie mark?”

“Oh, that,” I glanced down at my nearly blank flank, showing only the sword for my cutie mark. “I don’t know. I’m hoping that it’ll just come back at some point.”

“You don’t know how to fix it?”

I shrugged. “I have a vague idea, but otherwise it might just disappear completely.”

“What happens then? Could you get a completely new cutie mark?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I lose my special talent, or whatever makes me me. I sort of like the idea of finding a new cutie mark, but I don’t think it works like that. I’ve always been good at magic sword dueling, and I doubt that’ll change.”

I glanced down at my sword which was still strapped around my backside. After staring at it for a few seconds it began to creep me out a little, like it was staring back at me. I turned back to my food and quickly finished off the rest.

“Thanks for dinner, it was great,” I said. “Where should I put my bowl?”

“Don’t worry about that, I got it,” said Iris as she scooped up my bowl along with the others and put them away in the kitchen.

“So I heard you say your sword was enchanted,” said Root. “How does that work? Does it make the material stronger or something else?”

I looked down at my sword again. “Sort of, I mean, the material doesn’t ever seem to chip away or wear down,” I took the sword off and began playing with its shape. “The main thing is it allows me to change the sword’s shape and size somewhat, and allows me to cast spells through it easier. Overall it’s just easier to use my magic on.”

I was about to put the sword away when it began to pulse again, though much more faster and brighter.

I waved a hoof at the others. “It’s doing it again, stand back!”

I focused my magic on the sword and tried to create a shield around the hilt and compress it. It seemed to be working, until the sword lit up from the crystals and fired a beam out the tip, hitting the wall and leaving a black mark, but the pulsing had stopped.

“Alright, it’s safe,” I said. “But… I think I should leave sooner than later. This is getting to be too dangerous, and I won’t be able to stay overnight if it’s going to explode in all our faces like that.”

“Aw, do you really have to go?” asked Aster.

“I think it’s the right thing,” said Root. “If your sword is doing strange things, I think it’s best if you left to find a way to fix it.”

I nodded. “Thank you all for your hospitality, it was very generous of you to let me stay for a while. I’ll definitely come visit another time, and you can ask me all the questions you want, Aster.”

“We look forward to seeing you again,” said Iris. “Stay safe, and if you’d like I can make you a quick meal to go.”

“No thanks, your dinner will keep me good enough for quite a while I bet. Sorry I had to leave so soon.”

“It’s alright. Do you need any bits for the train to Canterlot?”

I walked up to the door and opened it. “No, I’m going to walk. I don’t want anypony accidentally getting hurt if my sword discharges again, and I’m not sure flying is the safest thing either. I’ll be alright, I used to be a Lieutenant after all. Goodbye everyone.”

“Goodbye!” they said.

I put on my old helmet, for lack of a better way to carry it, and saluted them, then walked out and closed the door with my magic. As I walked out of the apartment building and to the darkening streets of Manehatten I could tell it was going to be a long night. I sighed and continued on until I reached a local garrison for the Royal Guard and returned the helmet. After that I quickly made my way to the edge of the city to avoid any possible accidents and began on the long walk home.

The first few miles were mostly flat lands. I kept to the train tracks and waved as trains came zooming by, but then the tracks went into a tunnel through a mountain. There was no way I was going to go through a train tunnel on hoof, so either I could go through the Hollow Shade forest and over Foal Mountain, or go over the hilly areas above Fillydelphia and go around Foal Mountain. Stopping by Fillydelphia didn’t sound so bad, but it would take longer than just cutting a straight path through the forest and over the mountain to Canterlot.

I guess I was going through the forest. I wasn’t overly fond of travelling under a forest roof that nopony ever came through, at least not that often. I had heard a few stories from my time in the Royal Guard of dangerous monsters or things out of nightmares in forests like the Hollow. Most of the time the stories were exaggerated, though often were true one way or another. Whatever was really in there, I’ll take my chances with, what with my sword going all super nova.

I entered the forest, and true to its name, it felt very hollow. The trees were thin and spread out, but the overhanging branches and leaves spread overtop created a thick barrier and shadowed every inch of the ground below. Little critters scrambled out of my way as I went deeper into the forest.

Now back to my sword going super nova. Discord had told me there was some kind of magical entity within the enchanted crystal, and that it was mad. The biggest suspect to the random outbursts of energy had to be whatever was inside was trying to break out, and me trying to contain it caused it to… well more or less explode towards something. Somehow I needed to destroy the entity or contain it, and as of right now I have no idea how to do that.

As I made it into the darker parts of the forest I used my horn to create a simple light spell, scaring off several nocturnal creatures. It helped me see better, but it created this wall of ominous darkness around me, so I quickly stopped the spell and continued on content with the darkness. I would rather see further in the dark than better in the short light. Goodness that sounded ridiculously metaphorical.

After a while longer my eyes began to grow heavy and I could no longer keep alert of my surroundings. It was time I got some sleep. I found a soft spot of ground between two trees and laid down, then transformed my sword into half a sphere with air holes and put it over top of me for protection in case some pony eating monster managed to sneak up on me. I doubted anything could get through that thing, but what worried me is if it began to pulse again. So far it hasn’t, so I suppose it was alright to get some rest. I made myself as comfortable as I could get while laying on dirt, shut my eyes and let my consciousness slip away from me.

Floating… no… flying. Yes, I was flying, on my sword. I was over Canterlot, no, Ponyville. Wait, Manehatten? I went from my old parent’s house, then to mine, then to my parents apartment. The doors to each rushed up to my face. I knocked.

Bang bang bang.

No answer.

Bang bang bang.

No answer.

The Royal Guard barracks in Canterlot

Bang bang bang.

No answer.

I stood in the middle of Ponyville. There was no one in sight, it had been abandoned. Twilight had to know what was going on. The library door rushed up to my face.

Bang bang bang.

The door opened, inviting me inside. I walked in, but no one was home. Just the books with layers of dust upon them. Second floor, there was my old tent I slept in. I went inside, but it was not the inside of my tent. It was the castle in Canterlot. Changelings walked to and fro throughout the halls, some stood guard outside doors wearing Royal Guard armor. They turned and stared at me, changing into different guards I knew. Captain Morningstar, the other Lieutenants, Shining Armor.

“What are you doing here?”

I turned back. It was Twilight, wearing her own set of purple and gold armor. Behind her stepped out Celestia, Luna and Cadance, also wearing armor of their own colors.

I looked between them confused. “I don’t understand. What’s going on? Why are there changelings everywhere? Where is everypony?”

“They left,” said Celestia. “You remain.”

“Join us!” said Luna with a hiss.

The Princesses moved in on me. I tried to fly away, but my sword had disappeared. I backed away to bump into a group of changelings, also hissing at me. Then they were gone. There was a door.

Bang bang bang.

“Who is it?” I asked.

I opened the door for a peek, and was met by an army of changelings with different faces appearing and disappearing. Twilight, Shining Armor, Cadance, my parents, my fellow guardsponies, Aster and his family, even Discord, but then it really was Discord.

“You cannot run anymore, Swordy!” he said with a chuckle. “You must face it!”

“Face what?” I asked.

Bang bang bang.

There was a second door behind me. I opened it and was greeted by Princess Luna.

“Follow me, Swordulan,” she said.

I backed away. “Are you really here, or are you just another changeling?”

“I am here as long as you want me to be. It is time for you to move forward, this way.”

She walked back through the door and invited me forward. I slowly stepped into the room with her, but it stopped being a room once I was inside. It was emptiness, an empty black forever.

“What’s going on, Princess Luna?” I asked. “Why are there changelings in the castle? What’s happened to everypony?”

“Be still, for you are dreaming, a most horrible dream. There are no changelings in Canterlot, they are only within your mind. You must choose, Lieutenant. You must move forward.”

I shook my head. “I don’t understand. What must I choose? I’m not a Lieutenant anymore either.”

Luna smiled. “Not if you continue to think like that. It is your choice who you want to be, and only your choice. You must choose.”

Whatever floor we were standing on gave away and I fell away from Luna, whose voice continued to echo towards me.

“You must choose.”

I felt something grab me and pull me up.

“I gotcha, cousin! Not letting you fall on my watch.” It was my cousin, Katana.

Her grip began to fail and I was slipping.

“Don’t let go! I won’t let you!”

My sword flew in out of nowhere and cut Katana’s hoof off. She screamed and I was falling again. The sword flew underneath me to catch me, but it transformed into a gigantic mouth with razor sharp teeth. It began to fly towards me, chomping its metallic teeth.

Bang... bang…

BANG!

I gasped, shaking my head and feeling the dirt beneath me. I looked around and saw that I was still encased in my sword, then breathed a sigh of relief.

BANG!

I jumped, nearly hitting my head. Something just slammed into my sword, and I saw it was pulsing again too, so bright I almost thought it was broad daylight. I used my magic and opened a small hole in the sword to see what was outside, and I was met with the roar a dragon. The dragon pulled its head back and was about to blast me with fire. I immediately sealed the sword to shield the blast. The temperature rose to uncomfortably hot levels. Once I felt the fire was gone I transformed the sword back to normal, carefully making sure it didn't touch me. It was nearly molten metal at this point.

I cast a light spell so I could see. The dragon roared and prepared to blast me again. I transformed my sword into a wall between me and the dragon. It confused him long enough for me to get behind him.

BANG! BANG!

I hid behind a tree while he was still distracted then teleported my sword back to me in its normal form and kept as still and quiet as I could, keeping my sword levitated in front of me. It was still pulsing brightly, but hopefully not enough that the dragon would notice.

The dragon roared again now that I had disappeared. It stomped its feet and began to knock over trees. I heard it stop and begin to sniff.

“Come out little pony, I know you’re still here,” said the dragon, taking another long sniff. “I can sssmell your fear. Your sword can’t save you forever.”

The dragon began inching closer to me. I looked around for some sort of escape, somewhere I could go the dragon couldn’t get me. My sword continued to pulse more and more rapidly. An idea struck.

“You’re right!” I yelled. “It can’t save me forever, but I’ll bet it can save me now!”

I flung my sword towards the dragon, but it missed and clattered on the forest floor. The dragon laughed and picked up the sword, not minding how hot it must have been. Then I heard it, the crystal cracked.

THOOOM!

The entire forest lit up like one of the craziest parties Pinkie Pie had ever thrown. There was a burst of energy that knocked me a few meters forward. As the light settled, I shook myself and looked where the dragon had been. There was nothing left but my sword, lying dormant on the ground.

That wasn’t what I expected to happen.

I slowly approached the sword, looking from side to side to see if the dragon was still around, but there was nothing. The forest had gone completely silent. I reached out and poked my sword. Nothing. I touched it again for a bit longer, finding it was no longer hot. I picked it up and tapped on the crystal. It didn’t look like anything had happened to it. I held the sword in my magic and transformed it into a surfboard. It took a bit more effort than I was used to, but I was still able to stand on the sword and fly through the air. I transformed the sword back to normal and tried to teleport it in one direction. It strained my horn somewhat, but I could still make it teleport wherever I wanted.

Something definitely changed, and I don’t think I’ll be able to teleport my sword on a moments notice anymore. I don't think I'll get anymore sleep tonight either. I transformed the sword into a surfboard again and levitated myself up above the treetops. It was only a few hours before dawn. I flew back to the ground and put my sword around my back, hoping it wouldn’t begin to pulse any time soon, but then I noticed something on my flank. The shield in my cutie mark had reappeared.

Whatever just happened to my sword... somehow had restored a part of who I was. Maybe it wasn't the sword? Maybe it was what I did, what I chose. I wasn't sure.

I shook my head and continued on through the forest, eager to get back to Canterlot to see if I could make sense of all that had happened.